JLC looks a bit too sculpted for my taste, actually. She's cute and all -- which is her only job, so she better be -- but, yes, as a super sex symbol? Not really. Hell, talk about the Baker era! I'm a Leela man... And darling little Sarah Jane. And the double shot of Romanas...

I would argue that "Deep Breath" functioned as a far better entry point than any other Who I've seen. Sure, I'm still a little hazy on exactly what's up with snake lady, Jenny from the block, and Strax, but I understand they're allies of the Doctor and his companion. And since JLC doesn't carry the emotional weight for me from the Matt Smith era, I'm not concerned with that emotional baggage. I can pick up from here and enjoy it... which I did thoroughly.

The Paternoster Gang is one of Moffatt's endless attempts to create a spin-off show. They were introduced, entirely without preamble, in a webisode prior to the 2012 Christmas episode that nobody watched (including me) and appeared several times, without explanation or call back to that webisode, in last season's episodes. Most fans are totally confused by their presence and what they're about.

The Paternoster Gang is one of Moffatt's endless attempts to create a spin-off show. They were introduced, entirely without preamble, in a webisode prior to the 2012 Christmas episode that nobody watched (including me) and appeared several times, without explanation or call back to that webisode, in last season's episodes. Most fans are totally confused by their presence and what they're about.

Oh.... well then the Deep Breath is the perfect entry point then because the Paternoster Gang was the only confusing part about it.

EDIT:Missus RC is turned off by the concept of an older Doctor. I'm thinking about killing her.

EDIT:Missus RC is turned off by the concept of an older Doctor. I'm thinking about killing her.

She typifies NuWho fandom, then...and there is a backlash. It's insane, because the Doctor has always been old...and when he isn't, he's *supposed* to be playing an "old man in a young man's body." I think Matt Smith, in the long run, will prove to have killed the show.

The ratings are fascinating, really. Deep Breath performed best in the US -- because most of the US fans that didn't come in with Tennant are the old Tom Baker-saturation era stalwarts. It did not perform well at home, though... And I have to wonder how much Doctor Who is being written for American audiences these days. Certainly half the jokes were geared for "anglophiles who remember Tom Baker," and, despite letting Capaldi keep his accent, they did not let Gomez keep hers (I loved the in-character lampshade that she hangs on that, too).

The jolly rogers and the press all agree that tomorrow's episode is back in stride and will knock our socks off...

Oh! Missing episode update! Even an official statement leaves about a hundred questions unanswered. The statement is: "There will be no missing episode announcements in 2014."

Phrasing it like that makes it pretty clear that there ARE missing episodes and we'll hear about them next year, yes? Which makes sense if there really is as big a cache as the rumor claims. The daunting task of figuring out what's salvageable and then restoring it is probably a living hell...

The Paternoster Gang is one of Moffatt's endless attempts to create a spin-off show. They were introduced, entirely without preamble, in a webisode prior to the 2012 Christmas episode that nobody watched (including me) and appeared several times, without explanation or call back to that webisode, in last season's episodes. Most fans are totally confused by their presence and what they're about.

Oh.... well then the Deep Breath is the perfect entry point then because the Paternoster Gang was the only confusing part about it.

EDIT:Missus RC is turned off by the concept of an older Doctor. I'm thinking about killing her.

I guess I could add, for the newbie RC, that Vastra is a Silurian. They're one of the Doctor's enemies since the 3rd Doctor, though they've always been sort of neutral. Bad guys just because they were fighting for their right to survive and so on... But her character has the same history I mentioned -- that is, none.

Strax is a Sontaran, also an enemy since the 3rd Doctor, and always totally evil. His character -- catch this! -- is based off of a character from an unused script from the 5th season! LOL...

Jenny wasn't even in that webisode. She just suddenly appears as Vastra's wife. Yawn.